Thursday, November 17, 2011

Wines infused with medicinal herbs have been used from ancient China up until modern times.
Elderberry wine infused with herbs was used as a medicine by the ancient Egyptians.
Wine provides the solvents (alcohol and water) needed to dissolve the active ingredients in most herbs.

It not only preserves the medicinal qualities of the herbs, it also makes taking your medicine a little more palatable

Here's my recipe for

Cannabis Infused Wine

Ingredients:
a one quart glass jar
1 cup of dried cannabis
1 bottle of a good quality wine

Method:
1. Place Cannabis in a 1 quart glass jar.
2. Pour in wine. (sweet, high alcohol wines seem to work best)
3. Close tightly and shake well.
4. Store in a cool, dark place.
5. Shake well every day for 2 weeks.
6. Strain wine, transfer to a bottle, and serve.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Cannabis has been used as medicine since the dawn of time.
Some folks would tell you that it is simply superstition and old wives tales, but that's not true.

In 1952 Dr.J. Kabelikovi performed tests in Europe using cannabis extract on bacteria.
These tests were similar to those used to test penicillin.

The alcohol extract of cannabis was bacterially effective against many gram-positive and one gram-negative microorganisms.

A cannabis paste applied externally was also found to be effective.

According to Kabelikovi, "from a study of 2,000 herbs by Czechoslovakian scientists it was found that cannabis indica (the Indian Hemp) was the most promising in the realm of antibiotics."

In 1960 Drs. J. Kabelik, (Director, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology) Z. Krejci and F. Santavy (Director, Institute of Medical Chemistry) from the Medical Faculty of the Palacky University, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, published a paper called "Cannabis as a Medicant".

In this paper proof was given that cannabis extracts produce a very satisfactory antibacterial effect upon the following microbes:

Noteworthy is the effect upon staphylococcus aureaus strains, which are resistant to penicillin and to other antibiotics.

This is great news for us today with the super bacteria that have become resistant to modern antibiotics.
( By the way, did you know that the word antibiotic comes from Greek and means 'against life'?)

The anti-bacterial properties in cannabis are from cannabidiolic acid and cannabidiol.
They are most effective against local infections, ear, nose, throat and skin infections.

One of the best ways to use this herb for local skin infections is as a poultice.
A poultice is simply macerated herb wrapped in a clean cloth and placed on the affected area.

How to Make a Poultice

Using dried herb:

Use a mortar and pestle to grind the herbs to a powder.

Add enough warm water to make a thick paste that can be easily applied.

Add the water a little at a time, until the mixture is a thick paste but not stiff.

Make enough to cover the affected area.

Take a clean piece of gauze, large enough to cover the affected area completely, and spread the herbal preparation over it.

Cleanse the affected area and place the poultice over it.

Wrap the poultice in a clean cloth and hold it in place with a safety pin.

Using fresh herb:

Put about twice as much water as herb in a pan and simmer for a few minutes. Do not drain!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Fulla Nayak lived in the village of Kanarpur in the coastal district of Kendrapada, Orissa. She lived in a cow-dung hut with her 92 year old daughter, Jamuna Nayak, and her 72 year old grandson, Narayan Nayak, in a region where cannabis seeds are plentiful.

Fulla Nayak died in November 2006, at the ripe old age of 120. Before her death, she was the oldest woman in the world, with her competition, Maria Esther de Capovilla of Ecuador, dying at 116.
A great number of people want to know the secret to Fulla’s good health in old age, and she herself attributes it to her use of marijuana. In India, cannabis seeds are something of a sacred symbol, and use of the plant is entrenched in daily life.

Fulla Nayak enjoyed a long and healthy life, and she certainly didn’t sacrifice any of life’s little delights. She smoked marijuana and cigars and drank strong palm wine, a life-style that is frowned upon by Western conservatives. But perhaps her permanent state of relaxation and joy allowed this intriguing woman to remain in perfect health for well over a century.

Cultivating marijuana seeds is common in the community, and Fulla Nayak used leaves to make tea and joints. Fulla is certain it is the pot that made her reach a Guinness World Record breaking age, and her grandson, Narayan, said he wanted to write to the Guinness World Record authorities and get his grandmothers name in its deserved spot.

Pot is a Part of Indian Culture
India has a long and varied history of marijuana use, and it has a strong connection with cannabis seeds. Marijuana’s use in religious ceremonies and practices dates back to 1500 BC, and is an integral part of religious rites.

Marijuana seeds have long been known to grow in abundance in various parts of India in the wild, and it has been recorded in the sacred texts of the Hindus, the Rig Veda, where a description of a drink called Soma can be found. It is believed that Soma was in fact a marijuana drink.

Reaching Spiritual Oneness with Shiva
Shiva, a significant Indian god, is strongly associated with cannabis. It is believed that the god loved its effects, and so it is thought that consuming the plant will lead to spiritual oneness with Shiva. While cultivating cannabis seeds and consuming the plant is illegal in India, an exception is made during the festival of Mahashivratri. This festival is known as the ‘Great Night of Shiva,’ and Shiva devotees consume cannabis in the form of Bhang on this special night.

Bhang is a traditional and delicious tea using cannabis leaves with a mixture of almonds, spices, milk and sugar. It is said that Shiva had an affinity for this tea, and the tea is thought to aid you in the journey to spiritual enlightenment, bringing you closer to Shiva himself.
Growing and cultivating marijuana seeds is an age-old custom of the peaceful Indian people.

Perhaps Fulla Nayak serves as an example of the health benefits of living a relaxed and happy life.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Cannabis has been used for the relief of pain since the dawn of time.
The first recorded use was in China in 2727 BC.

Cannabis was used more frequently for the relief of menstrual pain than for anything else in the 19th century. Queen Victoria herself found that it was the only thing that helped her.

Modern medicine decided that the best thing to cure the problem was removal of the reproductive organs or, barring that prescribing tranquilizers and harmful pain killers.
(More than likely they gave the ladies tranquilizers so they wouldn't have to listen to them complain.)

Thankfully I will never experience menstrual pain but I've been told by those in the know that it can cause lower back pain, leg pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, irritability and general weakness.

Now, I've always subscribed to the adage,"When Mama's everybody's happy!"
So let's see if we can find an old time remedy for this problem.

First we need to know how to make a tincture.

Here is the general method to produce an herbal tincture.

Herbal Tincture

Ingredients

4 oz. finely ground dried herb ( 8 oz. if you use fresh herbs)

1 pint vodka

Method

Combine the herbs and vodka in a glass jar and close tightly.

Let stand in a warm place for two weeks and shake well twice a day.

After two weeks strain the herbs out and pour the tincture into a bottle (brown is best)

As I am not a female I cannot confirm or deny if this really works, but I'm told by a trusted source that it does a bang up job!

Monday, September 12, 2011

We're all used to going to the drugstore and picking up a jar of pills when we need medications. Those of us who use cannabis to treat our ailments don't have that luxury.

But making your own pills isn't hard at all!

By making your own you can be assured of freshness and quality ingredients. You can also add other herbs to the mixture to create the medicine that works best for you such as Valerian root to help you sleep, ginger to settle your stomach etc.

OK! Let's get rolling!

Powdered Cannabis Pills

Make sure you heat your cannabis at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes to decarboxylate the THC before grinding. It will also make the herb more brittle and it will powder more easily.

Weigh the cannabis after drying in the oven. After you make your pills simply divide the weight by the number of pills to establish the dosage.

I've found that the easiest way to powder herbs is in a blender or coffee grinder.

Put your herbs in the grinder and pulse until they are reduced to a fine powder.
Sift this powder through a fine metal strainer to remove small stems and other coarse particles.

When you have a fine even texture put them in a bowl (preferably glass or stainless steel) and add a small quantity of honey or food grade glycerin.

Easy does it when adding the liquid, it will take less than what you would think.

Add a little at a time until you have a slightly sticky mass that will hold it's shape when you roll it in your hands.

Knead and roll the mixture in your hands until it forms a cohesive mass. Then roll it into a snake just like you used to do in kindergarten.
Be careful to roll this to a uniform thickness, generally you will want the finished pill to be about the size of a pea.

Lay the snake next to a ruler and cut it into pieces as long as they are thick.

Roll the pieces into balls and then dust them with slippery elm powder.

Put them on a cookie sheet and let them dry. If you have a food dehydrator you can put them in that.
Or, if the weather is humid put them in the oven on low heat for a few minutes.

Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator. These can be swallowed or chewed.

Comb into your pet's coat in the opposite direction from which it grows.
Sprinkle the flea powder into the base of the fur until you have covered your pet's entire body.
Use as necessary.
Discontinue use if your pet develops a rash or allergic reaction to any of the herbs it contains.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Did you know that every part of the cannabis plant is useful? Here's a recipe from my old pal Dizledot that tells us how to extract a topical oil from the roots. It's just the thing for arthritis or muscle pain. And you Puritans will be glad to know that it doesn't get you intoxicated, just relieves pain.
Thanks Diz!

Did you know that hemp or marijuana root is used to relieve muscular and bone aches, reduce swelling, ease pain, rejuvenates circulation, promotes cellular growth, and encourages deep tissue healing. I try to use every bit of the plant, waste nothing is my motto! There are old recipes out there dating back years and years documenting the use of roots and stems.

If you are like me and looking for a homeopathic use for the roots start with a topical liniment solution using rubbing alcohol, dried and finely ground roots...... Ingredients:

1
root ball thoroughly cleaned and dried. Wash and re wash with water
until all soil is removed from fresh roots. Make sure you have dried or
dehydrated it to the point where the roots are no longer soft and
pliable.

1 bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol)

Method:Grind root ball to a fine powder, open a bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), pour approximately 1/3 of contents into a separate container for storage.

Using a funnel with an opening appropriate to container, pour in ground material, shake well, then store in a dark place, shaking every few days, for 1-2 months.

Strain out material before using, with a cheesecloth or coffee filter, apply liberally to affected area for pain relief, as needed.

Some folks wonder why a person would want to go to the trouble of making their own medicine from plants when they could have the doctor write them a prescription for pills. Well, I can tell you one reason. Side effects.

Any drug, synthetic or natural will have some side effects. The difference is natural medicines in most cases act in a much gentler manner on the body than the synthetics. Many times the plant itself will contain other compounds that counteract the ones that cause the problems.

Maybe you've seen those ads on TV for pharmaceutical drugs. They always tell you about "possible side effects" such as;

This is a re-creation of an old remedy from the 1800’s. It involves suspending the cannabinoids in sugar syrup in what is known as a micellized solution. This is a very easy process similar to making candy but one should use care when evaporating alcohol (a distillation device makes this part very nice). Use 1 ounce of herb to 1 pint of alcohol.

To begin, heat your cannabis at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes to decarboxylate the THC before grinding and make a strong tincture (190 proof alcohol is best). Grind it to a powder and then just cover with alcohol and let it stand somewhere dark for a couple weeks. After this is done strain the alcohol from the herb and save it. The herb is now spent and can be thrown out.

Place the tincture in a double boiler over ELECTRIC heat and reduce the volume in half.

After this add ½ the remaining volume of tincture in honey or some other syrup and 4-6 vitamin E caps (e.g.: if you have 2 quarts of tincture after reducing you would add 1 quart of honey).

This is when you can add other herb tinctures and flavors (I use a root beer flavor base).

Continue to reduce the volume with constant stirring until you have nearly boiled it down to the original volume of syrup that you began with.
Let this cool and bottle in dark glass, then store in the refrigerator.

Depending on the original strength of the herb, the dosage should be between a teaspoon and a couple tablespoons.

This basic recipe can be used to create an elixir from any tincture and the basic cannabis elixir can be modified for specific ailments.

For example, adding syrup of elderberry makes this without a doubt the most effective treatment for influenza that exists.
Kava can be added for greater pain control and sedation.
With a little study of herbal medicine you can customize the blend for specific ailments.

There are many uses for this syrup, but my family has come to rely on it as our sole treatment for colds and flu when made with elderberry and cats claw.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sometimes when folks are too sick to keep their medicine down then suppositories might be the answer.

Cannabis suppositories are just what the doctor ordered for patients who can't eat or smoke medical marijuana.

How To Make Cannabis Suppositories
(suppository kits, beeswax and molds are available in health food stores and online)

1) Pulverize the cannabis to dust. Blenders work best for this. Grind it up and scrape off the powder that sticks to the top. Don't forget to heat your cannabis at 300 degrees F for 15 minutes to decarboxylate the THCA into THC.

2) Melt beeswax in a double boiler. Caution, beeswax is flammable.Hot wax can cause serious burns. The safest way to melt the beeswax is in a double boiler. If you must use a microwave use a low power setting, stop when the wax is half melted and then carefully stir to finish liquefying.

3) Once the beeswax has melted, gently stir in an equal measure of medical marijuana powder. The resulting mixture should then be molded into shape while still warm.

4) Roll into cylinders or pour into a mold and when cool wrap and store suppositories in waxed paper.

Suppositories should be kept in a separate, clearly marked container inside your refrigerator.

One of ole Bill's favorite ways to prepare medical cannabis is in a tincture.

Cannabis Tincture (Alcohol)

1) Soak the cannabis in water for a few hours, drain and repeat until the water comes out clear. (This removes the water soluble elements that we don't want.)

2) Dry the cannabis and grind to a fine powder. (coffee grinders will do the trick)

3) Place on a baking sheet and bake at 300°F for 15 minutes. (this decarboxylates THCA into THC and increases potency)

4) Remove from oven and place cannabis in enough alcohol to cover. One ounce per pint of alcohol is a good ratio. (The higher the proof the better, Everclear , 151 proof rum or vodka. DO NOT use isopropol or denatured alcohol if you intend to drink the resulting mixture!!!)

5) Simmer in a crock pot on low. You can tell when it's done when the pulp strained out looks like sawdust. Maintain temperature of the alcohol/cannabis mixture between 150°F – 165°F.

6) Strain the mixture through a coffee filter and store in a glass jar preferably amber. A dropper bottle will make it easy to measure out doses. (Easy does it! It may take up to two hours to feel the full effects so try one or two droppers full first and see how it effects you.)

The same procedure can be followed using food grade Glycerin instead of alcohol. It has a naturally sweet taste and of course is alcohol free.

This tincture can be used by itself or as an ingredient in other preparations.

Tired of being poisoned by them modern medicine varmints? Medical costs got you so poor you're drinkin' muddy water and sleepin' in a holler log?
Ever wonder what they did back in the good ole days when they were feelin' poorly? Well sir, they made their own medicine.

You're probably wonderin', "What did they use to make medicine way back then"? Well, I'm going to tell you.

One of the favorite medicines back then was Cannabis Indica. Yep, that's right, good ole fashioned marijuana.
It was one of the safest most widely accepted medicines in the world from cave man days right up to 1942 when the politicians in the U.S. government decided that they could make more money from the new synthetic chemicals and drugs that only masked symptoms. Why do you suppose that was? Well partner, turns out you can't patent a plant cuz' folks can grow it themselves, and that means they can't charge you for it.

In 1851 these were the reported uses of hemp extract:

"The complaints in which it has been specially recommended are neuralgia, gout, rheumatism, tetanus, hydrophobia, epidemic cholera, convulsions, chorea, hemorrhage" (Brecher, 1972).

Nowadays they found out there's a heap more diseases that it takes care of including cancer!